Komga vs Readest
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-books & media library options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Komga
Media server for comics, manga and e-books
VS
Readest
Cross-platform ebook reader with sync server
| Feature | Komga | Readest |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Kotlin | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,532 | ★ 23,192 |
| First released | 2019 | 2024 |
| Replaces | ComiXology, Kindle | Kindle, Apple Books |
Why pick each one
Choose Readest if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 23.2k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Komga or Readest better?
Neither is universally better. Readest has the larger community, while Komga is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Komga and Readest free and open-source?
Yes. Komga is licensed under MIT and Readest under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Komga and Readest with Docker?
Komga: yes. Readest: yes.